Talking to the Dead

"LeRhonda S. Manigault-Bryant has produced a masterful work of scholarship that not only provides a unique analysis of 'lived' history and religion in the lives of contemporary African American women but also bears witness to the power of human creativity, expressed through imagination, memory, and performance. By crafting such an adept narrative, Manigault-Bryant draws the reader into a compelling story that balances her subjective experiences with a new and productive methodological approach." - Yvonne P. Chireau, author of Black Magic: Religion and the African American Conjuring Tradition

"An interesting ethnography that is in conversation with other studies on Gullah culture, Talking to the Dead goes beyond previous scholarship by highlighting the spirituality of contemporary Gullah women." - Margaret Washington, author of Sojourner Truth's America

"Talking to the Dead is an incredibly rich study, which will reward both a general readership and readers from a range of disciplinary backgrounds." - Teresa Zackodnik, Feminist Review

"LeRhonda Manigault-Bryant’s Talking to the Dead is well suited for the novice who is unaware of any of the traditions and religious practices of the Gullah/Geechee.... Because of its emphasis on black women, the ethnography also has much to offer to the black feminist or black womanist scholar, especially one with an interest in African Diasporic culture or African derivative belief systems." - Constance Bailey, Western Folklore

"While talking to the dead, as well as other less ‘flashy’ Gullah/Geechee practices risk being lost in application, Manigault-Bryant and other third generation scholars have ensured they will not be completely erased through an increasingly sophisticated historiography accounting for the diverse perspectives of African American women in the South Carolina lowcountry." - Douglas R. Valentine, Religion

"This masterful interweaving of these personal narratives of Gullah/Geechee women with the spiritual practice of talking to the dead, particularly in light of the present-day commodification of Gullah/Geechee culture (offered in the terminating chapter) in South Carolina, is the overall strength of this work.... This book, then, is a must read for advanced students and scholars in these areas of study." - Margarita Simon Guillory, Religious Studies Review

"...Talking to the Dead is a welcome addition to scholarship on the Gullah/Geechee culture and African American religious practices in general....Most importantly, Talking to the Dead not only lays the groundwork for further investigation into the gender dymanics of longstanding Gullah-Geechee religiosity, but also underscores the fact that no study of African American religion can be complete without a thorough investigation of women as believers, practitioners, and cultural leaders." - Shannen Dee Williams, Journal of African American History